Bailer



G. B. McDONELL AND E. L.PECK.

-BA|LER. APPLICATION. FILED NOV. I6, |920.

Patented Aug. 15, 1922.

Uhllyilt ernaast r ernten.

GEORGE BAN MCDONELL AND EDWARD LAWRENCE PEcir, OFEARTLESVILLE, OKLA- HolvrA, AssIGNoRs, BY ivrEsNE ASSIGNMENTS, To DOHEETY RESEARCH COMPANY,

OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

y BAILER.

Specification of Letters Patent. Pztled Aug. 15, 1922.

Application filed November 16, 1920. Serial No. 424,367.

To all whom it may concern: 1

Be it known that we, GEORGE B. McDoN- ELL and EDWARD L. Piton, citizens of the United States, residing at Bartlesville,

county of lVashington, State of Oklahoma,

will enable others skilled in the art to which f it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to bailers7 and more particularly to the type of bailers used in the drilling of petroleuinoil wells.

When drilling` deep wells, the drill bit is usually worked in water tov assist in vremoving the cuttings and the materials set free by the bit. As the drilling proceeds a mud or sludge is formed from the cuttings which is periodically removed from the well by a bailer. The bailer commonlyconsists of a cylindrical shell having a gravity operated check valve at the lower end arranged to be opened to admit liquid into the bailer when v hole and prevents formations of the ob-v structions and irregularities in the side walls of the' hole. The full size bailer is also very effective for cleaning the bottom of the well.

It often happens that a well contains large quantities of water and in such a well the bailer is always lowered to the bottom of the well to be filled. When a filled bailer of the full size of the well is being lifted out of the well, there is little opportunity for the water above the bailer to flow to the lower end of the bailer. Accordingly, the bailer acts as a piston to raise a large portion of the water trapped above it, and this condition places a very heavy load on the hoisting machine.

The primary1 object of the present'invenis being raised out of a well.

tion is to provide a bailer bywhich liquid may be vreadily conducted from a point above to a point below thebailer, when the bailer is lifted in a body of liquid withits.

trapping valve closed. y e

Another object of the invention is to provide a bailer with a liquid bypass vwhich will not be clogged by the mud beinghandled.

With these and other objects in view, the

invention consists in the improved bailer hereinafter described and ned in the claims. The various features of the invention'are illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which; I

Figa l is a view in vertical section of a bailer embodying the perferred form `Offinvention. F ig. 2`is a vertical section of the bailer shown in F ig. 1, the section-being takenv at rigllitangles to the section shown in Fig. l, an v 3 is a horizontal section of the bailer taken on the line 33 of "Fig.`2. i

The bailer illustrated linthe drawings consists of a modification. ,of the usual type particularly de-` ofbailer7 to provide a bypass through-the bailer for thefiow ofthe liquid from above to below the bailer at'the time a filled bailer The fluid handling portion of the'bailer comprises a cylindrical container lOvsecured to a shoe 12 and a dart 14; varranged to cooperate with a valve seat 16 in the'shoe tojtrap liquid in the container 10. rlFhe construction and arrangement ofthe parts mentioned abovey v while the bailer is being lifted, and to engage thebottom of the well to lift the head of the dart from the valve seat 16 when the bailer reaches the bottom of the well.

To provide a bypass in the bailer so that .a bailer of the full size of the well may be used for cleaning awell, an outer shell 18 is positioned around the container 10 with its upper end secured by rivets 20 to the upper end of the container, and its-lower end secured to the shoe 12. A lifting bail 22 is secured to the upper end of the shell 18.

The outer shell is arranged to have a cross section of substantially the same shape and area as that of a well in which the bailer is to be used, and has a diameter greater than the diameter of the container 10, to provide a peripheral space 2-/l between the shell and container. The space 24 forms a bypass passage through which liquid may How while the bailer is being lifted through a body 'of liquid at the bottom of a well. Openings 26 are formed in the slice which lead from the bottom oi the passage 2st to a point in the shoe below the valve seat 16.

, By this construction the liquid above the top of the container l0 will liow through the bypass to thespace below the bailer as the bailer is li'lfted. The lifting volume of the bailer consists of the volume of the liquid trapped in container l() between its top and the valve seat 16.

The openings 26 are so positioned in the shoe -12 that when the bailer is lowered in the bottom of 4the well, the mud at the bottom would be forced directly into them. Some forms of the mud or sludge often act to clog these openings so that when the bailer is lifted, the bypass through passages 24' and the openings 26 is closed. To prevent the bypass 'from being clogged a valve 28 consisting of the truste-conical disc is positioned below the openings 26 and arranged to engage a conical valve seat 30 formed in the shoe 12. rlhe valve 28 is freely movable between the valve seat 30 and a series of pins 32 which are positioned in the shoe l2 and tend to limit the down.

When they ward movement of the valve. bailer enters liquid at the bottom of a well, the valve 2S will beA moved in vcont-act with t'he seat 30 to close the passages 26 and thus lprevent mud from entering the bypass. At

the time the bailer is liftec the valve 2B will be forced by gravity into Contact with the pins 32 and open the openings 2G so that liquid can How through the bypass 2d-26.

Y lVith the construction outlined above a bailer of the, full size oit the well may be used in drilling. without placing a heavy strain on the lifting motor. The construction for trapping the liquid in the bailer is simple and will not get 'out of order, and

the bypass has nc complicated parts to get out or order. lt is apparent that the bypass 24J-2G would operate effectively it the valve 2e were omitted, but it is preterred to use the valve `in order to avoid any liability of the openings 26 becoming clogged.

While the bailer illustrated in the drawings is particularly adapted lor use 'in drilling oil wells, it is obvious that it is not limited to any such use, but may be used for hailing liquid in any type of well or shaft.

The preferred Yform of the invention having been thus described, what is claimed as new is: v

l. L bailer comprising7 an outer shell of substantially the same shape and area as the bore of a well in which it is to be used, a lifting attachment at the upper `end of the shell, a container of approximately the same length as the shell positioned within said shell to provide a peripheralspace between said shell and container, a valve 'for closing the lower end of said container,` and a valve for closing said peripheral space.

2. A vbailer comprising, a shell, a valve tor closing one end ot the shell, a li'l'ting` attachment for theshell, a bypass for leading lluid through said shell from above to below the shell when rthe shell is being` litted and a valve vfor closing said bypass while the shell is being lowered into a body of liquid.

3. A bailer comprising7 an outer shell, a shoel in the lower end of said shell. a container ot approximately the length voil the shell positioned within said shell with its lower end secured in said shoe and arranged to provide a peripheral channel between said shell and container, a valve seat formed in the portion oi' said shoe covered by said container,` a check valve for closing said seat, said shoe being` provided with passages communicating with said peripheral `space and extending to a point below said valve seat, and a valve 'lor closing said passges. 1

ln testimony whereof we affix our signaH tures.

GEORGE BAN MODONELL, vEIJVARD LAWRENCE PECK. 

